Lapping in my Saturn

[MazdaTom]

Cruising down memory lane on my computer and stumbled across this video. The wind noise becomes a little over-bearing toward the end. And the video really doesn't do the speed justice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTdWlLlAemY

[Huzer21]

That looks fun. I need to do something similar with the 8 this year.

[MazdaTom]

A few more just got done uploading:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww-jt0z_OM4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS4mdWP6tNk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB6S1JXmJfo

And yes- it's A LOT of fun! Even though my car has an automatic transmission, I'd still like to get back into this with my Protege. But a lot of my disposable income right now is going toward daycare.

[GR-8]

I want to do that. I don't think I'd want to be near cars though. I have a feeling that someone wouldn't let me an and bam....there we go into the sand. Looks like a lot of fun. I'm just going to try SCCA for now. I thought you were going to get that mustang. Did you ever pass him up?

[MazdaTom]

Mustangs are hard to pass in a Saturn. I can catch them, but passing them is another story. Track days have limited passing to certain straights on the track. And even if I carry a ton of speed through a corner and get a good launch onto the straight, the Mustang just has too much HP and pulls away.

Of all the track days I've been to (about a dozen), I have not seen any on track contact between cars. Plus I know of several other people who go to track days around the country and they also not heard of much, if any, car-to-car contact. I've seen a couple cars roll over, but it was just a result of going off track sideways and catching a wheel in the dirt.

[No-Coast-Punk]

If crack could somehow not be a life ruining substance... it would be like a track day.

At any "track day" you are pretty much required to keep a certain distance from other cars. Passing is only allowed in the straights with both parties acknowledging the pass. Organizers also group cars into similar speeds. So you don't have to worry about a Ferrari running your ass down and tailgating you through a corner.

I have seen a few guys wad up their cars at a track day... but they were driving WAY beyond their limits trying to show off.

Wheel to wheel racing is a completely different deal... everybody trailers their wheel to wheel cars to an event. Cars do wreck at these. But nobody is driving to work in them either... so it's not a problem. Much more fun, but you had better be selling organs/drugs on the side for the kind of money it requires.

If you aren't a complete retard, have a helmet (a cheap DOT rated helmet can be found for $50) and a car that's mechanically sound you can run at any track day.

<-- NASA tech inspector. Used to be an SCCA tech inspector but I let my cred's. expire.

http://www.nasarockymountain.com/
http://www.coloradoscca.org/

To learn more.

Also:

The state patrol rents out their proving grounds on weekends. We do a few Subaru only track days every year. Typically 20-25 cars show up. Cost is between $50-$80 per person. More people = less money... but less driving time. Nothing is timed. It's a blast. If there is enough interest in doing a Mazda only track day over the summer I can start making arrangements.

[SpeedRacer]

Coast start up a thread about that patrol renting deal.

[MazdaTom]

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Also:

The state patrol rents out their proving grounds on weekends. We do a few Subaru only track days every year. Typically 20-25 cars show up. Cost is between $50-$80 per person. More people = less money... but less driving time. Nothing is timed. It's a blast. If there is enough interest in doing a Mazda only track day over the summer I can start making arrangements.[/b]

Absolutely! We should probably start a "track interest" thread. And are other cars allowed at the Subaru events? If so, could you let us know when events come up? I was used to paying $100/event back in Oklahoma (Hallett), so $50 would be awesome- even if it does mean less track time.

I used to autox heavily, but since I caught the track bug, I'm much more into that. Autoxing is fun, but there is way too much down time for the amount of seat time you get. The way events are run around here, you have to be there all day long and only get 4-5 minutes worth of driving time. At a track event, you're also there all day, but you get about 40-60 minutes of track time (of course depending on the track, event......).